September 22, 2016

Unified Action: Be Involved in the 2016 General Election

Cheryl Frank introduced the September Unified Action and urged us to do whatever we can for the General Election.

To inspire us, Cheryl told a story of shoveling snow with her father. It was a Saturday morning and she was just 6 years old. The shovel was heavy, the snow was heavy, and she was small. The house was warm and cartoons were on television. She felt like quitting. She suggested to her father that she wasn’t helping very much and maybe she ought to go inside. Her father disagreed. “Every flake you shovel is one that I don’t have to shovel. You are helping,” he said. And so it is with volunteering on a campaign. You might think you’re not helping much and you might as well quit, but you would be wrong.

For more information and/or a proper telling of the story send email to Cheryl and call her at 575-650-7607.

Support Emilio at GoFundMe.com

Violet Cauthon let us know about a GoFundMe account for Emilio Gutierrez Soto, an exiled Mexican journalist. Emilio is well known to (and admired by) PVA regulars. He reported on abuses by Mexican soldiers who were sent to fight the drug wars, and that got him a death threat. He fled Mexico with his teenage son in 2008 and applied for political asylum. After years of red tape, the final hearing is scheduled for November. Emilio needs money for the travel expenses of expert witnesses who can provide evidence to the immigration judge.

Breakfast with Candidate, DA Mark D’Antonio

Shannon Reynolds announced a combination fundraiser/breakfast/meet-the-candidate for DA Mark D’Antonio. Shannon promised to prepare some of his own breakfast specialties; and, in addition to cooking for his benefit, Shannon gave Mark D’Antonio an unconditional endorsement.

Breakfast at Lorenzo’s with DA Mark D’AntonioSaturday, September 24, 9 to 11 a.m.Lorenzo’s Restaurant on University

Rep. McCamley on the State Budget Woes

Bill McCamley spoke about the current governmental pickle, noting that the governor and the Republican majority in the House want to solve the budget shortfall by cutting programs for those most in need. He emphasized the importance of getting out the vote in order to regain a Democratic majority in the House. Our local candidates (Small, Ferrary, and Martinez) are the key to the turnaround. Bill also mentioned that oil and gas are contributing generously (over $400,000 and counting) to Republican races in New Mexico.

The DA’s Philosophy of Justice

DA Mark Antonio asked for support in his bid for re-election. He spoke of the importance of diversion programs that separate criminals from people who make mistakes, or have a disability or a mental illness. He urged us to support this approach to the district attorney’s work and understand that keeping people out of jail is NOT being weak on crime.

Mary Lujan in Support of Scott Krahling

Mary Lujan spoke in support of Scott Krahling, a trusted friend since their days in graduate school in the government department at NMSU. Mary noted a few of Scott’s accomplishments as chief deputy county clerk: creating voting convenience centers, promoting early voting, and getting high school students registered to vote. She said that Scott’s opponent doesn’t want everybody to vote and has been an outspoken opponent of the right of same sex couples to marry.

Would You Rather Read 10 Pages of Fine Print or Study a Chart?

Ken Murray will be heading to his winter home soon but has dropped off all of his “Military Families for Hillary” bumper stickers at the Hillary office where you can now obtain them.

Ken noted that in 2015 the poverty rate had its biggest one-year drop, and household income had its biggest one-year growth (5.2%). Ken has been gathering charts that illuminate policy issues and will gladly share his digitized collection with progressive campaigns.

Don’t Think of It as Phone Banking, Think of It as a List Party

Kim Sorensen invited volunteers to join Joanne Ferrary’s energetic and creative campaign. They are looking for people to call voters. Ideally you will talk to someone you know in Joanne’s district and let them know what an outstanding candidate they can vote for.

John Birch Society Sneaks Around in Las Cruces

Earl Nissen, nattily attired in a Bill Clinton “Cure for the Blues” vintage t shirt, continued to inform us about the John Birch Society’s “support your local police” meeting, held August 19 at Mountain View Baptist Church. The meeting program listed 17 sponsors—at least one highly respected, well-known Democrat among them. Earl wrote to all the sponsors asking if they knew they were supporting a John Birch event; he received five replies. One reply came from a current candidate for office who said she had no idea she was supporting the JBS; she just wanted to get her name out. Earl will be following up with Mr. Allen of Allen Theaters and other sponsors of the event.

Scott Krahling for County Clerk

Scott Krahling, candidate for county clerk, announced that Tuesday, September 27, is National Voter Registration Day. The county clerk’s office will be registering students, parents, teachers, and staff in at least seven local high schools. Scott left us with his firm belief that “The more people who vote, the better off we all are.”

Scott invited everyone to his campaign fundraiser:

Scott for County Clerk FundraiserWednesday, October 12, 5:30 p.m.Salud de Mesilla

For more information send email to Scott, call him at 575-640-6205, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

We’re Watching You, El Paso Electric

Allen Downs, indefatigable El Paso Electric watchdog, reminded us that—thanks to the City, the County, and other interveners—New Mexico consumers will save 75 million dollars in energy costs over the next 10 years. He thanked the interveners who will continue to push EPE on renewables, efficiency, and peak use reduction.

Who Doesn’t Want a Better Library?

Sharon Shoemaker asked us to vote for Bond B, which will provide funding for tribal, school, and city libraries. Money will be for materials only, in particular to strengthen the children’s book collection and improve access to electronic material.

Jack Eakman Knows a Thing Or Two About Health Care

City Councilor Jack Eakman rattled off an astounding and appalling list of facts about health care in Doña Ana County. We have the lowest reimbursement rate for doctors in all of New Mexico (other places are 50 to 60% higher); we have the oldest doctor population; we are short 200 physicians and 22 psychologists. A city council work session on October 10 will address the situation.

Maggie Toulouse Oliver Events in Las Cruces

Nayomi Valdez spoke in support of Maggie Toulouse-Oliver for secretary of state and asked for volunteers to help with Maggie’s campaign. Maggie will be in Las Cruces soon, and there will be several opportunities to meet her and hear her speak.

What All of Us Need to Know about Immigration

Olga Pedroza invited everyone to attend a forum that will provide information on immigration—the sort of information that all of us in the Borderland should be aware of. The forum will be videotaped and archived.

Immigration in a Caring CommunityThursday, September 29, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.Las Cruces City Hall

Joanne Ferrary States Her Priorities

Joanne asked for support in her bid for New Mexico House District 37. She spoke of her commitment to better education from cradle to career, better health care, better infrastructure, and more and better jobs. She mentioned that the incumbent, Terry McMillan, has served two terms without participating in the work of interim committees.

Smirk Wipers Wanted

Pat Aguirre told us that she was smirked at on the campaign trail. However, that just made her more motivated than ever to work for Joanne’s Ferrary’s election, and she welcomes partners to the cause. She noted that McMillan’s campaign is running crude and misleading radio ads earlier and more often than in the last election. She said it would be a really good thing to refute the ads via Sound Off, letters to the editor, and good old-fashioned face-to-face conversations.

John Vasquez Speaks from the Heart

John Vasquez, candidate for County Commission District 5, spoke from the heart—as a man who volunteered to serve his country in the military and now as a candidate who hopes to serve his country as an elected official. He said he believed in doing the right thing. He said he was a warrior first and a politician second.

Candidate Angelica Rubio Has Made Some Videos

Connie Chapman shared the news that after much cajolery Angelica Rubio (candidate for New Mexico House District 35) has made a series of videos on the issues. You can watch them on her Facebook page. No surprise here, but Angelica’s campaign welcomes volunteers.

William Webb for County Commission District 4

William introduced himself as the county’s most progressive Republican. He opposes, for example, private for-profit prisons. He mentioned in passing that Mr. Rawson and the homebuilders association back his Democratic opponent.

How to Select a Superintendent with Transparency and Plenty of Community Input

Ed Frank, school board member, informed us that three finalists have been chosen for the position of district superintendent. The school board has arranged for input from panels of students, teachers, staff, and administrators. In addition, the candidates will answer questions from the community at Oñate High School on Thursday, September 29.

Thanks to the EPE Watchers Plus an Invitation to See if You’d Like to Serve on the Detention Advisory Board

Billy Garrett thanked Mark Westbrock, Allen Downs, and all who have worked tirelessly on the El Paso Electric rate proposals and are still working to see that New Mexico consumers get a fair deal.

Billy announced that the County has approved a resolution that sets up a Citizen Advisory Committee for the Detention Center. Anyone who might be interested in serving on the committee should contact Billy for details.

Read New Books but Don’t Forget the Old

Alice Anderson provided a welcome musical interlude (Make new friends but keep the old/One is the silver and the other gold) by way of recommending an old-but-very-good book: “The Voice of the Coyote” by S. Frank Dobie, published in 1947. The book, available at Branigan Library (599.7 Dob), covers wolf biology, behavior, folklore, and has illustrations by Claus Munie.

Protect the Vote Is Looking for a Few Good Citizens

Lynn Moorer, asked for volunteers to serve as poll challengers for the Democrats. People are needed for Election Day as well as (somewhat less urgently) for early voting. This is the perfect civic duty for anyone who believes, with Lynn, that every vote is important and deserves to be protected.

Eric Rodriguez for County Treasurer

Eric asked for support in his bid for Doña Ana County treasurer. He pointed to his training and experience in business and his many awards in the private sector. He said that if he is elected, appointing David Gutierrez (the current term-limited treasurer in the midst of misconduct litigation) to a position in the treasurer’s office was “not a viable option.”

Joy Goldbaum Announces 2017 Campaign

Joy Goldbaum announced that she’ll be running for municipal judge in 2017. She will kick off her campaign officially after the November election. She said she has been a lawyer in New Mexico for 25 years, and (unlike her opponent?) she has never been suspended or disciplined in any way.

Sharon Thomas Speaks Up for Planning and Transportation

Sharon urged everyone to support funding for transit and the adoption of the Unified Development Code. She said our fledgling transit program has competed successfully for several grants and is off to an excellent start.

Nathan Small for NM House District 36

Nathan arrived late but with a good excuse: out meeting voters, one door at a time, and learning their concerns. He mentioned two troubling issues. First, the governor’s capital punishment bill that Andy Nuñez is sponsoring. Second, the millions in campaign contributions pouring into New Mexico from out-of-state oil and gas companies.

Progressive Concerns and POVs Were Heard at the Domenici Conference

Don Kurtz talked about his experience at the recent Domenici Conference held at the Las Cruces Convention Center. Over 1000 people attended to hear talks by national leaders on a variety of topics. Don was impressed by the sessions dealing with behavioral health and the urgent need to stop using our state and local detention facilities to house the mentally ill. Especially encouraging was the intense focus by participants—including many community, nonprofit and corporate leaders—on issues like the environment, income inequality, trust in policing, and restoring trust in government. The conference sessions, including a rollicking session on the 2016 election with political consultant James Carville, can be seen here.

F-U-N on the Campaign Trail

Cheryl Frank brought a long list of reasons why you would want to sign up to canvass for Nathan Small. The list included an adorable (no other word for it) cat-themed clipboard and homemade cookies for every volunteer.

Walks are held every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Sundays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. There is phone banking from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Doña Ana County Races Will Win Back the House for Democrats … or Not

Matt Gloudemas reminded us that Doña Ana County is ground zero for reclaiming the New Mexico House for Democrats. He is working hard for Rudy Martinez (District 39) and Joanne Ferrary (District 37) and invited volunteers to join the cause. “Donate. Volunteer. Do whatever you can!” he implored.

But What If My Doctor Is in El Paso? McMillan’s Radio Ads Don’t Tell the Whole Story

Rich Ferrary pointed out that the radio ads touting Rep. McMillan’s health care bill neglect to say that his bill (passed in the last legislative session) prevents New Mexicans from suing out-of-state doctors in the New Mexico courts.